2001 Chevrolet Corvette Z06

When Zora Arkus-Duntov launched the original Z06 Corvette option in 1963, it was as close to a "works" sportscar as he was allowed to build. Regular Production Option (RPO) Z06 consisted of a 36-gallon fuel tank, a fuel-injected 360-horsepower engine, big brakes and a stiff suspension. In its competitive debut, a Z06 won the L.A. Times Invitational at Riverside. (To the chagrin of Chevy loyalists, a haunting spectre also debuted at that race—Carroll Shelby's new Cobra.) Only 199 Z06 Corvettes were built in 1963. That low production made the vehicle unique; its spectacular performance made it legendary.

Inside, the Z06 receives either graphite or 2-tone red/black interior and a specific Z06 instrument cluster.

Now, 37 years later, the Z06 nameplate returns on a Corvette. Once again, it needs only a rollbar and a 5-point harness to go racing. The 2001 Z06 is a step above the standard Corvette in all facets of performance, beginning with option availability. It can only be ordered as a hardtop, and all hardtops are Z06s.


Although Chevrolet will surely get its share of criticism for this decision, it does make perfect sense. The hardtop has more torsional rigidity than the coupe and weighs less as well. (At 3,113 pounds, it's 38 pounds lighter than a C5 hardtop and 99 under a 2001 coupe model.) Right from the beginning, Corvette Chief Engineer Dave Hill envisioned the hardtop as the only platform for the new Z06, and he designed it to be more competitive than Zora could have ever dreamed.


Cosmetically, this take-no-prisoners exercise is easily identified from earlier hardtop models by the brake-cooling ducts ahead of the rear wheels, the screened air ducts in the front, wider, 5-spoke wheels, red brake calipers and Z06 badges on its fenders. Inside, the package brings either graphite or 2-tone red/black interior and a specific Z06 instrument cluster.

Heart of the Z06 is a hot LS6 V-8. Higher compression and better overall breathing allow it to crank out 385 horses?40 more than the LS1 in a standard Vette.

The heart of the Z06 is the new aluminum-block 5.7L LS6. Rated at 385 horsepower @ 6,000 rpm and 385 lb.-ft. torque @ 4,800 rpm, the LS6 comes on at lower rpm and continues to pull higher and harder than the LS1, right on up to its 6,600-rpm redline. A good deal of this extra muscle results from the redesigned cylinder heads. In addition to a higher-compression ratio (10.5:1 in the LS6 versus 10.0:1 in the normal LS1), they carry unshrouded valves and benefit from straighter passages and revised ports. The fuel injectors throw 10% more charge, and a higher-lift camshaft works in concert with stiffer valve springs.